Flowers for Algernon
by Henry Vyne
Summary: Arthur is a 32 year old, mentally retarded man who undergoes an experiment that causes his brain to function properly. This is about him dealing with new realizations and learning new things with the help of his teacher, Merlin. Based off of the book, Flowers for Algernon.


**This is a Merlin fanfiction based off of the book, Flowers for Algernon. In the book, it's written as journal entries made by Charlie, but for the sake of my Merlin based brain, I changed it to Arthur. You don't need to read the book to understand this fanfiction, but it is excellently written and very great, so I recommend it to all of you. I'm also writing this, as you'll soon notice, as not journal entries by Arthur, so I'm going to be changing and adding quite a few things in here.**

**I in no way own or have a share to the rights of Merlin or Flowers for Algernon. Flowers for Algernon was written by Daniel Keyes, and Merlin was made by BBC. That's about as far as I know besides a vast knowledge of the actor's names who've been cast in the show.**

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Arthur had always had a troubled life. He had been far from normal for as long as he could remember, and never felt like he lived up to what people had hoped he would be like. Mostly he felt that way about his parents, but he rarely even though about them anymore. And by abnormal, I mean mentally retarded. He had never quite come to terms with that fact, but knew that he wanted to be smart like everyone else. He knew he had it in him. He knew that he could learn if someone just showed him how to.

Arthur was a 32 year old who attended the Beekman's University Center for Retarded Adults and worked at Donner's Bakery. He was kind of like the janitor there, but he did other work as well. He cleaned out the bathrooms, washed the counters, swept the floors. What he spent a lot of his time on there was lugging sacks of flour around. He had been employed there for seventeen years, and doing the same jobs all the time. Due to the strenuous work of carrying sacks of flour around the bakery, he was very toned and fit, not that it made much difference to him anyway.

He had enrolled in the university a while back, when he wanted to learn how to read. He was tired of everyone around him being able to and being so much smarter than him, so he told his co-workers of his plan, but everyone just laughed at him. Arthur couldn't remember much of this time, his memory had never been anything to brag about, but one of his fellow workers gave him directions to Beekman's University Center and there he was enrolled in a reading and writing class, and was taught to do what he had longed to do for so long. He still couldn't read or write very well at all, but it gave him something to work on, and he enjoyed it very much.

His teacher, Mr. Emrys, had noticed that even while being one of the students with the least intelligence, was the one who by far tried the hardest. It was obvious that Arthur really wanted to learn. To be smart like everyone else. That's why Mr. Emrys had spoken with Dr. Strauss about Arthur becoming one of the candidates for a science experiment that was going to take place. The only thing that they were missing was a volunteer.

The upcoming experiment was brain surgery that was hoped to help the brain to reach a higher capacity level. Well, I suppose that that's not the correct way to explain it. They were hoping that the result would be helping to fill the patient's brain capacity that they already maintained. Mr. Emrys had told Arthur of this, and that the doctors were thinking about having Arthur taking the experiment, and Arthur was ecstatic.

"They want to use me? They're going to make me smart?" He asked over and over again.

Mr. Emrys had explained that nothing was certain yet, and that the doctors had to do some tests to make sure that he was the right one for the experiment. Arthur had wholeheartedly agreed to do whatever tests that they wanted to do, so long as they could make him like everybody else.

Once of the first of the things that had happened when he agreed to the tests, was Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur, some people who were overseeing the operation, giving him a notebook that Arthur was supposed to write progress reports in. They said that Arthur should right down everything he thinks and remembers, and everything that happens to him from then on. They said that it's important to see if they could use him or not. Arthur gladly took the book and could hardly stay still from all of the excitement.

That conversation took place in the classroom that Arthur had his writing sessions in. After Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur had left, there was only Mr. Emrys and Arthur there, and Arthur sat back down at his desk and immediately started writing down his first progress report.

Mr. Emrys smiled slightly at his enthusiasm and walked over behind Arthur.

"Do you mind if I read along?" He asked.

Arthur replied without looking up, but he stopped writing when he spoke. "Sure."

After a several minutes of very slow writing, Arthur had finished his first entry, and Mr. Emrys read the squiggly and unsteady handwriting with ease. It read:

_progris riport 1 martch 3_

_Dr Strauss says I shoud rite down what I think and remembir and evrey thing that happins to me from now on. I dont no why but he says its importint so they will see if they can use me. I hope they use me becaus Mister Emrys says mabye they can make me smart. I want to me smart. My name is Arthur Pendragon I werk in Donners bakery where Mr Donner gives me 7 powns a week and bred or cake if I want. I am 32 yeres old and next munth is my brithday. I tolld dr Strauss and perfesser Nemur I cant rite good but he says it dont matter he says I shud rite just like I talk and like I rite compushishens in Mr. Emryses class at the beekmin university center for retarted adults where I go to lern 3 times a week on my time off. Dr. Strauss says to rite a lot evrything I think and evrything that happins to me but I cant think anymor becaus I have nothing to rite so I will close for today . . . yrs trulie Arthur Pendragon._

Merlin was pleased with the progress that Arthur had made so far. He was worried for when they got into the harder to explain subjects of proper grammar, spelling and punctuation, but he was sure that Arthur would always try his best. He was comforted by that thought. None of his students compared with Arthur and how he always tried his hardest, no matter what the situation.

Merlin scoffed quietly. _Not much has changed then._He thought. Images of Arthur in armour and chain mail with a deep red cape flowing behind him shot into Merlin's mind. He compared those memories to the man who was sitting before him, who was massaging his tired writing hand. He wondered if Arthur's ailment had been because the blocked memories of his previous life, or just bad luck. Either way, Merlin had been desperately hoping since the day that he saw him that Arthur would remember soon.

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**I know that it's a short chapter, but I wanted to see if there were any good responses before I kept going. And if you get too depressed with Arthur being sad and a bit mentally deficient, just think that he's constantly in his happy Simpleton Arthur state. :) Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of it! If I kept going, would you read it? If you don't, you should at least read the book thinking about Merlin and Arthur. Also, if I do keep going, the chapters will be at least 3,000 words. They won't all be this short. :).**


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